Wonky Windmills

Wonky Windmills

8 inch

I made a few more black/multicolor Wonky Windmill blocks this week for the pink and black version of Wonky Windmills. 

Then I made a few more Wonky Windmills in pink.   Now I have a complete block set of 63 blocks and this quilt is ready to assemble.   

I started making the blocks last year as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project. Each block is made with rectangles 4.5 x 5 inch - two each of the background and other fabric. Then they are stacked right side up, cut and shuffled and then sewn together. 

In August I decided to see how many blocks I had and how many comfort quilts I could make from all the blocks I made from scraps up to that point.  I divided blocks into four piles -- novelty, geometrics, florals and pink/black.  Now I just need to make blocks to add to each pile so I have a complete block set. The novelty top is already assembled. This one is ready for assembly. That's two down and two to go!

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Sep. 6 -- Scarlett, my new great niece, has made an appearance! I've only seen a couple of photos but she is a healthy little cutie.   We have 31 nieces and nephews and most of them have had several children who are now starting to have children so we have kind of lost track of some of the later generations (mostly because I'm not on Facebook) but Scarlett's mom, Summer, lives a short distance away and usually comes to the family reunion camp outs each year so I'm hoping I'll see Scarlett in person in May if not before. Scarlett already has a couple of baby quilts made by her great aunt Cathy!

 

WITB#4 : 4P=B+W+1

 

It's a top!

Four Patches

made with black, white and one other color.

40 x 60

I started on this one last year after someone gave me a big bag of 3 inch squares.   Since then I have received other 3 inch squares and 3 inch width strips in various lengths from other folks and I have been accumulating them all in a box. Normally I have a block going for every size scrap I encounter; however, I have really not ever generated many 3 inch width scraps of my own and in the past if I received some 3 inch width pieces I cut them in half for two 1.5 inch pieces because I usually have a lot of blocks in the works that use that size of scrap. When I received that gallon bag of 3 inch squares last year I decided to start making a few quilts with those scraps and start saving those scraps in a box instead of cutting them smaller.  

The other day I posed the question WITB? 

This is comfort quilt #4

I've also been making four patches from 2 inch squares in black, white and one other color. For that quilt I will alternate the four patches with solid colored squares. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

*****

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Sep. 5 - Hubby felt like he might be strong enough to try to mow lawn on riding lawn mower. He was! Woohoo! Last year at this time he was barely unable to get up out of a bed or chair. 

And Now There Are 320+

Switch Plates

3 x 5

I've been making Switch Plate blocks for a long time - maybe a couple of years- from 1.5 inch width scraps. A few times I've made them from 3.5 inch width scraps. They have been a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project so I've been making them a few at a time from scraps I happen to have in that month's color.  I don't think I've ever actually cut any 1.5 inch width strips in order to make these. I've just waited for scraps to happen.   I have been blessed this year with scraps from a lot of folks. As I sort scraps I first sort pieces less than a 6 inch square by width like 1.5 inch or less than 2 inch that I will cut down to 1.5 inch.  Then after I have a pile of 1.5 inch scraps I sort those by project. So...any strips at least 14 inches go into a pile for these blocks; strips at least 10 inches go into piles for little Windmills and so on.  

So, anyway, I've been making these blocks for awhile but have not been counting them. My bag was getting pretty full so decided it was time to count them the other day. 

Total count was 232. 

So I figured out what size quilt to make. How about a 20 x 16 blocks (staggered) for a 60 x 80 inch quilt. In my head I figured I needed 98 more blocks (later after I made 98 I realized my head math was incorrect and I only needed 88) so I dug into that pile of 1.5 inch scraps and made 98 blocks. 

Now I have a complete block set ready for assembly.

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Sept. 4 - I spent a couple of hours browsing through catalogs and then I ordered some bulbs for fall planting and I ordered some seeds for fall and winter sowing. 

 

Wednesday Wandering

Zinnia Patch

where I saw the hummingbirds yesterday.  

While I was walking hubby around in the gardens a bit the other day we both saw a Giant Swallowtail in the Zinnias. It kind of followed us around for a bit. Later we both had the same strange thought...it was a visit from our granddaughter Kayla who died unexpectedly a couple of years ago from cardiac arrhythmia. 

I have not done a Wednesday Wandering post for a long time. Seems I haven't found the time to walk through the gardens to take pictures this year. Yesterday afternoon I finally went out with the camera. It was not the best time of day for photos. 

This was the first Monarch I've seen this year and it was nice enough to pose awhile so I could take a pic.  For some reason it liked that spot on the trellis I made of tubing from hubby's enteral feeding bags.  

I grew Sweet Peas on the trellis. Oh, they smell so sweet. 

Funny thing...my trellis is growing! I cleaned out an area that had a lot of woody growth of Elderberry and did not let the wood age before I used it as my trellis supports. Now if I wanted that to happen it would not have.  We used to make jam and wine from the wild Elderberries but haven't done that since the kids left home. 

The leaf hoppers have finally decided to leave my Dahlias alone, thank goodness. I first thought the earwigs were what was damaging them so put out traps for them - my old yogurt containers with a little soap and oil in them buried level with the ground. I put in four of them. Well, the next morning they were all dug out of the ground and damaged....darned raccoons! 

Dahlias are not hardy here so I will have to dig these up and store them for the winter after we have a frost. 

These are big Dinner Plate Dahlias so are worth a little work. I now have a permanent place I will put them in the veg garden since I don't need to grow as many veggies since hubby has G-tube and poor guy does not get to enjoy garden produce anymore. 

I love Coneflowers and no critters usually bother them so I put in a new Coneflower garden with several newer varieties of Coneflowers (Echinacea). I usually start most of my flowers from seed but I bought the different Coneflowers. I'm going to continue to collect more varieties and try to keep them all labeled. 

More Zinnias. One can never have too many Zinnias. Critters rarely bother them thank goodness. I save seeds each year so I can sow a lot of zinnias here and there.   My fav type is the cactus flowered. 

I know Autumn is approaching when the Japanese Anemones start blooming. 

As Autumn approaches the Sweet Autumn Clematis starts blooming.  Here it grows on a trellis with Morning Glories. The Morning Glories reseed themselves every year. Thank goodness they stay near the trellis and don't invade everywhere unlike the darned bind weed. 

Since I've been using Bobbex to spray on roses to keep deer away they are starting to really thrive. And the Japanese Beetles have not really invaded this year like they have in the past couple of years. Weeds are thriving too!

I meant to pick and dry the hydrangeas earlier but I did not see these since they were hanging so low. Maybe next year!

I also meant to pick and dry the Love Lies Bleeding ropes but I think now they are too far gone. This is the first time I've actually gotten Love Lies Bleeding to grow. I think I was always planting it and then later pulling it up thinking it was the wild amaranth (pig weed) that grows around here. This year I decided I would not pull up whatever came up that I planted between the two cages I have around roses. 

The roses in front of the Love Lies Bleeding. 

And the roses in back. 

Another rose across the path way. 

And a wild or species rose bush, the state flower of Iowa, that  I need to cut away that sprouted up near the little water garden. They grow so fast. I guess deer and rabbits don't like that kind of rose!

And sow on...

*****

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

September 3 - My youngest brother's birthday. He's 68.   I'm very proud of him. Over 20 years ago he was addicted to cocaine and booze (Jack Daniels).  He has been sober since then, had a good job (chef) he retired from last year and replaced his addiction to cocaine and booze with an addiction to travel all over the world to learn the cuisine of other cultures and how they prepare that food. (He's eaten things I don't think I would even put anywhere near my mouth)!!! 

I was also the lucky recipient of a box of fabric and thread from Cindy and a box of scraps from Ann.  I am so thankful! Oh the quilts I can make!

 

WITB #3 - 25 Sawtooth Stars in Greens, Oranges, Purples

Sawtooth Stars

 10 inch

At the end of August I showed you a box of 3 inch width scraps that I was going to try to empty by the end of September. And I also was wondering how many different quilt tops I could get out of that box of scraps. 

I pulled the orange, green and purple scraps that were long enough for either backgrounds or star points. I was able to find enough for 25 Sawtooth Stars. For the centers I used what I could find in the box I have with some 5.5 inch squares. I also found a couple of 5.5 inch orphan blocks in green that I used. 

I want 48 Stars for a 6 x 8 (60 x 80 inch) donation quilt  and now only have 25 from the box I want to empty so will set these aside for now and finish the rest from scrap chunks later on. 

I previously blogged about the other 6 Stars I made from the box of 3 inch scraps. 

And sew on...

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Sept. 1 - Two hummingbirds in the zinnias. I watched them for a long time. I rarely see two of them together. Every once in awhile one would fly off and then come back and it looked like it would tag the one left in the zinnias and they would both fly off together but then come back. I was working in the garden so it was a nice break from weeding just to sit on my garden stool and watch. 

Sept. 2 - Labor Day - I was thinking of all of the paying jobs I've had in my life. I started babysitting when I was 13. I think I baby sat almost every Friday and Saturday night and during the summer I sometimes babysat during the days too. Most of the jobs came from folks I knew through church. I think I quit babysitting when I was 16. When I was 15 I got a job working the summers at the soda fountain at Howard Johnson's. I also worked there a few evenings and weekends when I turned 16. I saved my babysitting money and money from working at the soda fountain and bought my first car when I was 16. It was a chevy corvair I bought for $75 from a guy dad knew. It was the car Ralph Nader wrote was unsafe at any speed. Well, I didn't have to worry about it for too long because some guy ran a stop sign and totaled my car. The car must have been safe enough because I was unharmed. Since I was without transportation I quit the job at the soda fountain during the school year. The following summer I started working at Bishop's Cafeteria. I also worked after school and weekends when school started.  I bought another car - a Ford Fairlane for $135 - and also made a little money buy picking up my sister's friends to take them to and from school. That money mostly went toward gas. Most of the rest of my paychecks went into savings for college; however, sometimes I would treat myself to a new record album or fabric to make a new dress. I worked at Bishop's Cafteria for a number of years and learned how to do most of the jobs -- baker, cook, veg cook, salad maker. My fav job was baker. I worked at Bishop's on and off through my second year of college. That's where  I met my future husband! I paid for college as I went and earned some money away at college by doing odd jobs posted to the bulletin board like housework (raking shag carpets, cleaning gross ovens) and tutoring. I also worked as a maid for awhile. I quit college after two years because I ran out of money and didn't want to go into debt with loans. Meanwhile my Dad moved to FL and opened a cafeteria and my boyfriend (later my hubby) moved to FL to help him.   So, once again, I worked most jobs in the cafeteria. A few years later after a marriage and two kids we moved back to IA. I got a job as a baker and started saving for college once again. After we had some money saved so I could go back to college I got a job as a coordinator at Association for Retarded Citizens and worked with severely and profoundly retarted adults. I worked days, went to school in the evenings and hubby worked third shift so he could be home with kids during the day because we couldn't afford a babysitter. After I got an associate's degree in Business Computer Programming I started working for a Medical Lab as a computer programmer later I.T. Officer. I then took correspondence courses (that was before there were online classes and even before everyone had a computer, lap top or cell phone) to finish my bachelor's degree.  I paid for those courses by growing lettuces, dried flowers and herbs at Farmer's Market and later made things like wreaths with dried flowers, potpourri, lavender wands and sold at craft fairs.  I worked at the medical lab for a little over 30 years and then I retired.   I worked my way through college and did not go into debt so I don't understand those who do or who think they should not have to pay said debt. 

 

WITB Top #2 - I Spy

I Spy

16 Patch Star

40 x 60

It's a top!

I started on this one last year after someone gave me a big bag of 3 inch squares.   Since then I have received other 3 inch squares and 3 inch width strips in various lengths from other folks and I have been accumulating them all in a box. Normally I have a block going for every size scrap I encounter; however, I have really not ever generated many 3 inch width scraps of my own and in the past if I received some 3 inch width pieces I cut them in half for two 1.5 inch pieces because I usually have a lot of blocks in the works that use that size of scrap. When I received that gallon bag of 3 inch squares last year I decided to start making a few quilts with those scraps and start saving those scraps in a box instead of cutting them smaller.  

The other day I posed the question WITB? 

This is comfort quilt #2 ! 

For this top I used all of the I Spy pieces in the box.  For the wonky star centers I used novelties with white backgrounds.  

I didn't have enough novelties for the quilt so I also used multicolor wild and crazy squares mostly in the pieces with star points.  I'm trying to use up pieces in my 3 inch width box so didn't want to go outside the box for more novelties. 

The grandkids used to love their I Spy quilts. We played many a game of I Spy and the kids learned their colors, body parts, etc. playing the game. As they got older I would ask them to find things that fly or are sweet or live in water, a fruit...or find something that rhymes with goat, pen...  and sometimes we would walk through the squares and each kid could pick a direction to go for the next square and tell that part of the story and so on.   Most of the time the stories had silly things happening to grandma like a bat in my hair or I stepped in dog poop or something like that. Oh no!

I'm the oldest of five siblings and my hubby is the oldest of 8. When our siblings started having grandkids I made the proud grandparents I Spy quilts to keep at their house for when grandkids visited so they could play too.   It is difficult to believe that now that generation of grandkids are now having kids. Summer's (our grand niece) baby girl Scarlett is past due!  

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

August 31 - I finished a book! - Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber. One of the last books I read was classified as being of the magical realism genre. I had never heard of magical realism before that but I thought it was a nice easy reading happy sort of genre and a good way to take a break from some of that historical fiction I usually read. I decided I needed a little more magical realism in my life. I read on my Kindle (so I can enlarge print and have backlighting for reading at night) and have a Kindle Unlimited subscription so looked up some magical realism books and Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is one of the books that came up.   It was light easy reading...reading that was the equivalent of watching a Hallmark movie.  All of the characters in the little village found happiness, the pies at the cafe always sold out and the blackbirds were magical.  And now I'm finished with magical realism for a little while. 

 

Piece Work

Monkey Wrench

10 inch

I think the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color(s) for September are black and brown. I have several quilts that need blocks with blacks and browns.   

In 2022 and 2023 I made Monkey Wrench blocks in three different sizes from scraps for donation quilts. I've finished dozens of quilts but still have a few piles of blocks that need more blocks before I can assemble a top.   One of those piles is a pile of black 10 inch blocks for a teen quilt 60 x 80 so I need 48 blocks total for a 6 x 8 layout.  I dug into my pile of black chunks and cut what 4.5 inch pieces I could in order to make the HSTs.   I have a little box of 2.5 inch scraps already cut and had enough black scrps for the rest of the Monkey Wrench pieces. 

Now I have a complete block set. Sometimes I put complete block sets in my SAR (Some Assembly Required) box but I think I'm going to try to assemble this top in September. 

Wonky Windmill

8 inch

And since I was working with the black 4.5 inch scraps I cut pieces that were long enough for two 4.5 x 5 rectangles to make more Wonky Windmill blocks for a teen sized Wonky Windmill quilt with pink and black windmills on gray backgrounds.  My goal is 32 pink and 31 black Windmills for a 7 x 9 (56 x 63 inch) layout. 

I've been making Windmill blocks from scraps for over a year and recently divided them up into piles for 4 different quilts. I've already assembled one top. 

Shoofly

10.5 inch

Made with 4 inch width scraps.

I have a small box of 4 inch width scraps and recently started making Shoofly blocks with the scraps that are long enough.  I pulled out any black and brown pieces and matched them up with other scraps in the box. I haven't decided upon size of quilt or number of blocks yet. My goal is to first see how many blocks I end up with from that box of 4 inch scraps. 

Broken Dishes

7 inch

Also made with scraps from the 4 inch scrap box that weren't long enough to make a Shoofly block.

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE (my word of the year)

August 30 - There was a beautiful pink glow over the land because of a glorious pink sky at sunset. Looking through rose colored glasses....